National Holidays (all shops closed, restaurants open)
January 1, New Year's Day (Újév)
People rest after the long new-year parties of the preceding night. Traditional foods on this day include lentils (symbolising coins) and cabbage leaves (symbolising banknotes) to express hopes of getting rich in the new year.
March 15, National Day (Nemzeti Ünnep)
Márciusi ifjak ("March youths"), memorial day of the 1848 Revolution. There are usually speeches and music pieces performed; several people wear a cockade with the national colours (red, white and green).
Moveable, Easter Sunday (Húsvét vasárnap)
Good Friday
Moveable, Easter Monday (Húsvét hétfő)
Men visit women and ask for permission for sprinkling by reciting a little Easter poem, they sprinkle them with some perfume (or sometimes a bucket of cold water in the countryside), and they get eggs (mostly of chocolate) in exchange. Women are like flowers, if watered they will remain beautiful longer. Children get chocolate bunnies and eggs (from the Bunny), and sometimes fruits, nuts etc. or even some money as well. They sometimes have to look for these presents in the garden or in their room. (Living bunnies are not infrequent as a gift, either.) Mothers often prepare ham, eggs, and sweetbreads for dinner.
May 1, Labour Day, Anniversary of the accession to the EU (A munka ünnepe)
The countries of the EU are represented with special programmes, bridges are decorated and exhibitions are arranged.
Moveable, Pentecost Sunday (Pünkösdvasárnap)
Sunday, 50 days after Easter
Moveable, Pentecost Monday (Pünkösdhétfő)
Monday after Pentecost
August 20, Saint Stephen's Day (Szent István Ünnepe)
St Stephen’s Day (first king of Hungary), Foundation of State, also ’the day of the new bread’ (bread baked from flour coming from newly harvested wheat). Celebrated with a half-hour fireworks on the bank of the Danube in the evening, attended by hundreds of thousands of people.
October 23, National Day (Nemzeti Ünnep)
The day of the Republic (since 1989), 1956 Revolution memorial day. Celebrated with speeches and exhibitions.
November 1, All Saints Day (Mindenszentek)
It is a day to remember the lost ones. On this day people generally visit all their lost relatives' graves which they decorate with flowers.
December 24 evening, 25, Christmas (Karácsony)
People buy (or make) presents for their relatives and friends in the preceding couple of weeks (so this period is the absolute boom of the year for most stores). Public transport stops operating at about 4 p.m. Families reunite and people prepare their (labelled) presents under the Christmas tree. It is a fir tree decorated by one or two people in the family so nobody else can see it before they signal with a little bell for the rest to come in. The family sings Christmas songs together and everyone unwraps their presents. On 25th and the 26th, people usually visit their relatives (e.g. aunts, uncles and grandparents) and exchange presents.
December 26, Second Day of Christmas (Karácsony másnapja)
Traditional Christmas foods include fish soup, stuffed cabbage, roast turkey/duck and beigli.
